‘Gentleman’ pirate famous for his capture on the NC coast gets HBO Max comedy series
Stede Bonnet had no business being a pirate. But he’s getting his own HBO Max series anyway.
The famed “gentleman” pirate was captured on the North Carolina coast and later hanged more than 300 years ago — putting an end to his brief stab at life as a sea criminal. Now, a comedy series “Our Flag Means Death” that will be “loosely” based on his adventures is coming to HBO Max, a news release from WarnerMedia says.
Bonnet, a “pampered aristocrat,” lived a comfortable life before trading it all for piratehood, the release says. He had inherited a “sizable plantation” in Barbados, was highly ranked in the militia, and was married with children, according to the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Then one day he suffered “some kind of mental break,” bought a ship, hired a crew and abandoned his family in the middle of the night, McClatchy News previously reported.
But, to the frustration of his crew, the unseasoned pirate had no idea what he was doing at sea, and his demise shortly followed.
Less than two years later, he was captured at the mouth of the Cape Fear River near Southport, North Carolina, then taken to Charleston, South Carolina, and hanged.
Taika Waititi, who won an Oscar for his film “JoJo Rabbit,” will be executive producer for “Our Flag Means Death” and will direct the pilot episode, the release says. The series’ creator David Jenkins will also executive produce along with Garrett Basch and Dan Halsted.
“A series concept like this jumps off the page and you can instantly envision every moment,” Sarah Aubrey, head of original content for HBO Max, said in the release. “David and Taika’s unique take on Bonnet’s rollicking misadventures on the high seas, are sure to thrill and delight audiences everywhere.”
The first episode of the series will be filmed after Waititi finishes producing “Thor: Love and Thunder,” according to the release.
This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 2:37 PM.
